Cat Ba Island, Vietnam - Cost of Living -Hạ Long Bay

Cat Ba Island, Vietnam - Cost of Living - Hạ Long Bay

From June through July, Cat by Island is a very active place during the offseason, it is fairly empty, and living on the island for a month could easily be less than $700, making it an attractive place for an extended visa run. The main strip of Cat Ba Island is full of hotels, restaurants, and shops. Cat Ba town is rather small, so getting around town by foot is easy. For many people, Cat Ba may be too small for long term living since most activities are for tourists visiting for a short time and foreign residents tend to be nomadic, However, it can be a great place for a short-term getaway.

Cat Ba Restaurants:
There’s plenty of fresh seafood around town and a few western options too. There are several karaoke restaurants in the bay. You can catch a taxi boat from the pier that will shuttle you to the restaurants. Like Coffee serves real espresso and cappuccino and it’s a great place to try Vietnamese egg coffee. Oasis is an all-around good restaurant during the day and bar at night. Mona’s Rooftop Is your best choice for vegan options and has a nice rooftop restaurant with a chill environment. They also have nice, sea view rooms with balconies. Yummy Restaurant also has vegetarian options and excellent Vietnamese BBQ. Their Thai style soup with a fresh fruit shake is just $2.64 or with a fresh coconut for $2.86.

Cat Ba Accommodations, where to stay on Cat Ba Island:
It’s best to stay in Cat Ba Town. During high season, it’s best to book a room ahead of time. During the low season, many hotels will offer a good discount for a long-term stay. I booked a simple room with a balcony, off the main strip, for $6 per night and stayed there for two nights while I looked around and found this beachfront room, on the main strip, on the top floor for $270 USD for the month. During the off-season, rooms can be found much cheaper.

Getting Around Cat Ba Island:
From Cat Ba Town, you can easily walk to several nice beaches, a few resorts, and many restaurants.

To explore the island, you’ll want a motorbike. The asking price is about $5-6 per day. I asked around a few places and found one off the main strip for $3.50. per day.

You can get to and from Cat Ba Island and Hanoi as well as other cities by booking a bus/boat/bus combo Prices start around 11 USD. I booked my trip through Good Morning Cat Ba and they included hotel pickup and drop off.

Cat Ba Island Things to Do:
Boat trips to Ha Long Bay are the main attraction of the area. A day cruise will cost about $20 per person and an overnight cruise, will be around $50-100 USD per person. I don’t recommend more than one night on the boat since many of the cruises repeat the same activities at the same places on the third day.

Cat Ba Island Tours, Cat Ba Ventures:
Boat tours will usually include several activities like; sightseeing stops in Halong Bay, kayaking in calm bays with caves to explore, a good lunch prepared on the boat, swimming, snorkeling, a stop at a pearl farm and a visit to Monkey Island.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam:
Booking a boat tour of Ha Long Bay from Cat Ba island has a couple of advantages. They tend to be cheaper than trips booked from other areas and you also will see parts of the bay that are less traveled by the many cruises departing from the mainland.

There are several nice swimming beaches on Cat Ba within walking distance from the town. The beaches have bars and restaurants that are reasonably priced.
There’s a nice walkway around the peninsula that connects two of the beaches. Catba Sunrise Resort has a bar and restaurant, and sun-shaded beach chairs available for about $3.00.
On the point just outside of town, you’ll find Le Pont Club and Le Pont Bungalow Hostel It’s a great place to enjoy a sunset view over Lan Ha Bay.

Cat Ba National Park:
The national park is a good place for hiking. For a small fee, you can hire a guide at the national park entrance. Another place that’s worth a stop is the Temple at the bay by the North Ferry Terminal. There’s a wooden footbridge about a kilometer long that leads to the temple.

Cat Ba Island Climbing:
Rock Climbing is also popular on the island with Butterfly Valley and Hidden Valley are the most popular. Rock climbing guides are available several places in town.

Cat Ba Island Weather – Best Time to Visit Cat Ba:
In general, for the nicest weather, the best time to visit Cat Ba Island is between April and November.
June through August, the energy level is high as the island gets filled with tourists.
If you want to escape from the crowd and visit Cat Ba Island during its low season. The crowds start dropping off in September. Visiting during October and November is an ideal choice.
Some people find the winter months a little depressing, others enjoy the town when it’s calm ant the beaches are uncrowded.

#IslandLiving #Vietnam #CatBa

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